Footwear



P. Y. SMILEY FOOTWEAR Filed April 10, 1924 u r UVVENTOR FIG. a PEARIYSMILEY ATTORNE. S

Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOOTWEAR.

Application filed April 10, 1924. SeriatNo. 705,601.

To all whom it may cancer ltd Be it known that I, PEARL Y. SMILEY, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Kitchener, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F ootwear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in over-shoes or boots for lumbermeirand general outdoor workers, and the object of the invention is to provide a comfortable shoe which will be weatherproof.

Another object isto provide a boot of the class stated in which the expanding gusset and the foot opening at the front of the shoe will be protected against the entry of snow, rain or the like. i

In my invention I provide a boot which may be of rubber or composite construction having an opening in the front to allow for easy entry of the foot of the wearer. An expanding gusset is placed between the adjoining edges of the front part of the shoe opening and a cover flap is attached to one of said edges and is so positioned that it will overlap the opening formed between the edges to prevent snow or the like from passing between said edges into the expanding gusset.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved boot.

Figure 2 is a said boot.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the upper, 12 the sole and 13 the heel of a rubber boot which is provided with an opening 14 at the front to allow for easy expansion of said opening for inserting the foot into the boot. The edges 15 of the opening are adapted tosbutt against plan view of the opening to one another. Adjoining said edges is the triangular gusset 16 which is so folded that it will allow of maximum expansion between said edges. The gusset forms a protection for the foot of the wearer against snow which might pass between the abutting edges of the front opening. To further protect the foot a flap 17 is secured to one of the edges and is so arranged that when the boot is closed as shown in Figure 2, the joint between the edges 15 will be entirely covered. To hold the flap in position and the boot closed, and for illustrative purposes, I have shown an adjustable buckle comprising a swivelling tongue 18 attached to the boot by means of the riveted pad 19. The tongue is so positioned that it'will pass through slots cut in the slotted member 20 which may be hingedly attached to the boot in any suitable manner. In the drawing I have shown a rubber boot in which the flap may be provided with a layer 21 of canvas or the like and the edge over which it laps may also be provided with a layer of canvas 22 to prevent undue wear. This flap may be attached to any of the standard types of overshoes and may be-made to extend to the top of the upper which may extend well up the leg of the wearer, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In operation the boot. is slipped over the foot of the wearer and closed by means of the buckles. The gusset folds between the adjoining. edges of the front opening'and the flap covers the adjoining edges thereby providing a battle against the entry of snow or the like which otherwise would gather in the gusset and hurt the foot of the wearer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is A boot or shoe having a front opening, an expansible gusset joining the edges of the opening, a flap attached to one of said edges, layers of canvas attached respectively to the .inner surface of the flap and to the outer side of the upper immediately adjoining the remaining edge of the opening and complementary fastening members carried by the shoe and adapted to be secured together with one of said members extending across the flap and serving to hold the edges of the opening together.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

PEARL Y. SMILEY. 

